The effects of REBT group counseling program based on horticultural therapy on depression and anxiety of the older adults.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the REBT group counseling program based on horticultural therapy on the reduction of depression and anxiety in the elderly. The subjects of this study were 10 elderly people who expressed their intention to participate in the research and obtained 18 points or more (mild dementia elderly ~ normal group) in the Korean version of the Simple Mental State Examination (K-MMSE~2) among the elderly living in a facility for the elderly in D city. As a group program participant for the elderly, the REBT group counseling program based on horticultural therapy was conducted once a week for a total of 8 sessions of 60 minutes per session. In order to verify the effectiveness of the program, the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDSSF-K) and the Korean version of the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (K-GAI) were used to conduct a test before and after the program, and SPSS 28.0 was used to determine normal distribution with the Shapiro-Wilk test, frequency analysis, descriptive statistical analysis and paired sample t-test were used for analysis. As a result of the study, there was a statistically significant difference in the level of depression in the participating group. However, anxiety levels declined, but were not statistically significant. Through the above results, it seems that the REBT group counseling program based on horticultural therapy has a positive effect on the reduction of depression that reduces the quality of life in old age, but it does not appear to reduce anxiety. In addition, it has a limitation that there may be a problem with the reliability of the research results due to the implementation of a single group case study.